All Good Things Ep 10: Reunion
by Jurnee Jakes
Summary: A houseboat trip for Spring break sounds relaxing enough for Kim and Ron after thier last harrowing adventures, but as the boat fills up with old High School friends, the space may not be big enough. A collection of tales of how friends met and fell apart
1. Prologue

Prologue

Kim Possible was tweaked. A little. Because while Ron Stoppable had instantly accepted a week long vacation on a Canadian lake in house boat, although free of charge, he had also invited a number of their friends along. After nearly taking over the world and attending her Nana's funeral, Kim wasn't overly excited about being cramped up in a small space for a week with just anyone.

But as Ron began to list off the small group that would be joining them, Kim began to relax. It would be nice to see Monique again, complete with her new boyfriend, Anthony. Felix and Zita had agreed to come as well, but Kim should have been a little more suspicious when Ron hesitated, coughing out the words "JoshandTara."

"Ron, you do remember that Josh and Tara aren't a couple anymore, right?" she had asked him. "I really don't think they're going to want to spend an entire week together stuck on a boat with three other couples."

"Amp down, KP." Ron smiled confidently. "The Ron-man's got a cunning plan."

Now, Kim watched as Ron stepped onto the dock, wheeling a cooler full of soda cans. The area itself wasn't exceptionally busy as it apparently wasn't the typical time of year to be out on the lake. He had come a long way since Graduation, and Kim couldn't help but wonder how she hadn't damaged his outlook on life over the last few days. She had hoped to be able to talk things out in private when Ron had mentioned the trip, but now with so many people on a small boat as well...

Kim smiled and shook her head, refusing to feel sorry for herself. She was no longer either dead or evil, and was more in love with her guy than before. At least here, she wasn't bothered by celebrity hunters.

Suddenly, Kim caught sight of Felix in the parking lot up the ramp from the docks. She waved her arms, causing Ron to look up at her and wave back, dumping the cooler of soda onto the dock as he did. "Aw, man!" he whined, trying to keep the cans from rolling into the water.

Kim ran along the dock to help him, meeting a large African American man with bulging muscles and short cropped hair. He knelt down to pick up a handful of sodas as well. "Hey, man!" Ron shouted, dumping an armload of cans back into the cooler. "Paws o... hey, do I know you from somewhere?"

"Hey girl!" shrieked a familiar voice as Monique pushed past both men.

Kim's grin widened as she embraced her friend. Suddenly, the idea of being amongst friend on a cramped boat didn't seem so bad. "Monique! I was starting to wonder if Ron was just pulling my leg about you coming with us." Kim smiled.

"Are you kiddin'?" Monique grinned, holding Kim out at arm's length. "It's been almost two years since I saw you last!" she continued as the large man that stood beside Ron cleared his throat. "Which reminds me..." Monique smiled slyly. "This is Anthony." she said, gesturing to the huge man. "Anthony, this is Kim Possible!"

Anthony offered his hand to Kim. "Hi." he greeted her in one of the deepest voices Kim had ever heard. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Funny." Ron said, completely covered by the man's shadow. "I haven't heard much about you..."

"I have." Kim said, continuing to look up at the man. "You're a wrestler at Upperton University, right?"

"The top wrestler!" Monique exclaimed, cuddling up to Anthony, barely able to put her arms around him.

"Hey, hey, guys! Which one's ours?" Felix Renton asked as he rolled down the ramp to the docks. Four of the cyberrobotic arms that extended from his chair were carrying what was left of everyone's luggage. "Hey, Ron-dawg. How're you getting so buff?" he asked with a wave.

Ron grinned as he struck fists with his friend. "Kim's been giving me lots of se... oi!" he exclaimed, as Kim blushed and hit him in the ribs with a sharp elbow. "... celery." he finished, rubbing the spot that Kim had struck.

"The Moon Maiden, Felix." Kim smiled, pointing down the dock at one of the larger boats. "Just so you know, Tara's in there already."

"The celery diet, huh?" Felix winked. "Okay, I'll toss these bags in, then let's get this party started!"

"Tara's here?" Monique whispered. "You do know... Josh, hi!" she shouted as the young man with the spikey, two tone blonde hair strolled down the ramp, followed by the exotic looking Zita Flores.

"Hey." Josh Mankey smiled and nodded, calm, cool, and carrying his art supplies as always.

As Josh walked through the crowd on the dock, Zita stopped to give Ron and Kim a hug. "Ron, what happened to your neck?"

"Uh... angry puppy." he said, chuckling nervously and feeling the two small scars on his neck.. He picked up the cooler of sodas and Kim watched as the four friends followed Josh to the Moon Maiden, chatting and laughing as they walked.

One week of old friends in the middle of a lake, Kim thought. She looked down at the soda can she had picked up, and dug a finger beneath the tab. "This is going to be so the drama..." she said to herself as she opened the can, causing the well shaken beverage to explode all over her.


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

Day One:

"How's the world holding up, Wade?" Kim asked her webmaster over the Kimmunicator in her hands. She was curled up beside Ron on the couch off to the side after having a shower. Felix sat in the pilot's position behind the wheel of the boat, wearing a novelty Captain's hat with Zita standing behind him with her arms hung over his shoulders. Monique and Anthony were unpacking supplies into the kitchen cupboards and Josh was sitting on the front deck with his legs dangling in the water. The music from the top deck was a tell tale sign of where Tara was.

"It'll survive for a week, Kim." Wade assured her. "Besides, Joss and I should be able to handle anything that pops up. Like this weird series of holes in buildings that stretch out to the coast of Miami." Wade said with a wink. Kim looked up at Ron, who laughed nervously and patted the pocket knife in his shorts pocket.

"Any word on Walter?" Kim asked.

"Well, his mother stepped in as usual, but with the Director's testimony, the best she could do is get him into a mental institution in Go City." Wade explained.

"Go Mental?" Kim asked with a smirk.

"They've really got to work on their naming scheme." Ron commented.

"Relax, Cuz!" Joss said from off screen. "Enjoy your vacation!"

"Joss, are you in Wade's room?" Kim asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Uh, enjoy the sun!" Wade replied hurriedly before cutting the connection.

The rumble of the motor became silent as Felix throttled down. "Okay, who's first into the water?" he asked with a smile.

On the top deck of the Moon Maiden, Ron and Rufus each lounged on a stretched out chair as Josh and Anthony sat around the outside of the hot tub. Felix sat in his chair by the water slide, perking up as the first sound of footsteps could be heard on the ladder from the lower deck behind Ron's chair.

Monique was the first to reach the top deck, dressed in an orange two piece bikini with a wide belt, obviously only meant as a stylish accessory. "There's my girl..." Anthony said with a grin, cradling Monique on his lap and giving her a smooch.

Zita was right behind her in a striped, two tone pink, full piece swimsuit. She had gained a few curves since high school, but still retained her attractive exotic physique. "You guys going to join us?" she asked.

"Dude," Felix whispered to Josh, beside him. "I think my legs are moving."

Josh gave a lopsided grin and Monique leaned over to Felix. "That's not your legs, boy." she said, getting a chuckle out of Josh.

Zita moved to lean against the safety railing as Tara climbed to the top in a tiny, light blue and strappy two piece, hugging her arms around her chest, suddenly feelings out of place amongst the other couples. Josh raised his eyebrows and a smile tugged at his lips until he met Tara's eyes.

"Lookin' good, ladies!" Ron said with hardly any reaction. But as he heard one more set of foot falls on the aluminum ladder, he grinned and snapped his fingers. "Check it!"

Kim reached the top deck in a white, open backed, one piece bikini, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she stood up straight, and put her hands on her hips. "So how come no one's in the water yet?" she asked, leaning against Ron's shoulder.

The other girls cast sideways glances at each other, bordering on irritation at Kim's nearly painted on suit that easily showed her musculature. What of course seemed to make it worse was the fact that she didn't seem to notice. "Be our guest..." Josh said calmly, but with a smile.

Kim turned to Ron as she stood. "Coming?"

"In a bit, KP." he answered, nodding to Josh, Felix and Tara. Kim shrugged and smiled in puzzlement before climbing up on the safety rail and performing an acrobatic dive into the water below.

Josh looked over the railing at Kim's quickly rising form. "Wait for it..."

"Gah!" Kim shouted, breaking through the surface of the water. "The water's cold!" she laughed, tossing her long red hair back out of her face.

"If she thinks it's cold, there's no way I'm goin' in." Monique stated, crossing her arms.

"Well that would be a waste of a trip, wouldn't it?" Anthony said, standing easily with Monique in his arms. Her voice reached a new pitch as Anthony dropped into the water, causing spray to reach the top deck.

"Come on, Zita!" Kim shouted. "It's not that bad!"

"Go ahead, bade. I'll be in in a bit." Felix grinned.

"Tara, you coming?" Zita asked the long haired blonde.

"Just give me a few minutes." she answered. Zita sat down on the spiral water slide that hung off the back of the boat, plugged her nose, and launched off the end in a splash.

When it was just Josh, Tara, Felix, Rufus, and Ron, Ron sat up and leaned forward. "Okay, let's see what you've got for me..."

"Are they coming in?" Kim asked, looking up at the top deck, wondering what Ron could be up to.

"'In a bit.' was the only answer I could get out of them." Zita said, shrugging. She held up a hand as she was caught between Monique splashing Anthony in mock anger. "You don't know what they're up to?"

Kim shook her head. "No idea."

"Ron seems to have that same look he had when he introduced Felix and I." Zita smiled.

"Excuse me?" Kim and Monique asked at the same time.

"Ron never told you?" Zita asked with a grin. "It was Senior year, just after Valentine's Day..."

* * *

Felix Renton wheeled up next to Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable's table in the cafeteria of Middleton High. Despite being the school's newest celebrity couple, they still seemed very much approachable and hadn't instantly abandoned all of their usual friends like many other couples do. "Hey guys, still enjoying the mystery meat?" Felix grinned.

"In a way of speaking." Kim said, choking down a forkful of the brown, viscous substance before washing each bite down with a sip of soda."

While Rufus didn't seem to be minding it, Ron was just playing, making tracks with his fork. "Not much choice since the Senior's Table got thrown out." he sighed.

"You mom refuse to make you a lunch again?" Kim asked, rolling her eyes.

"Y'know, with that and refusing my phone calls from camp, my mom is heartless." he retorted.

"Ron!" Kim glared. "She gave birth to you!"

"Pfft... how hard could that be?" he asked, still playing with his food.

"Anyway..." Felix interrupted. A couple now, perhaps, but they were still the same old Kim and Ron. "I need your help."

This caught Kim's attention instantly. "What's the sitch, Felix?"

"Uh, well actually... I need Ron's help." Felix replied, noticing Ron suddenly sit up straight and cross his arms.

"No offense, but what do you need Ron's help? Wait, this is some kind of video game thing, isn't it?" Kim asked.

"Kim, if you recall, there have been many occasions in which I, Ron Stoppable, have been asked to save the world." Ron said, counting them off on one hand. "Camp Wannaweep, the Ron Factor, Yamanouchi..."

"Which was supposed to remain a secret." Kim whispered, gesturing to Felix.

"Didn't hear a thing." Felix smiled. "Actually, I was hoping that you'd give me a hand in Land of Lore."

"Land of Lore?" Kim asked.

"Only the latest and greatest MMO to hit the PC! There hasn't been anything this good since Everlot!" Felix explained.

"Video games..." Kim said with an amused smile. "Well have fun with your toys, boys. Monique and I have a project to work on, anyway." Kim said, giving Ron a peck on the cheek. "See ya after school, Ron." she winked.

Ron rubbed his cheek and smiled as Kim walked away. "I am never going to get used to that."

* * *

"Okay, so what'd you want me to do?" Ron asked, sitting down at his computer and adjusting his head set.

"Just, you know... do what you do when you're on a mission with Kim." came Felix's voice.

Ron sank in his chair. "You want me to be the distraction." he concluded.

"I believe the term is Tank, but basically, yeah. I keep getting ganked in one area and need someone to keep the boss's attention until I can get the weapon to destroy him from the chest." Felix explained.

"The sounds kinda complicated. Where's my rocket launcher, or laser, or BFG?" Ron asked as the game loaded. "Fantasy... nevermind!"

The game went on for several hours as Felix and Ron made their way to their destination cave. For the most part, Felix cleared a path for the two of them and it became apparent that he had made this trip several times. "Okay, Xitikix is just through this door." Felix said as his and Ron's characters stood before a massive set of iron double doors. "You go in first and I'll bubble you."

"Story of my life." Ron said in a bored tone. "Isn't this the kind of thing you usually group up for? Like other regular players?"

"Tried that. Someone decided to swipe the weapon and bolt." Felix explained. "Ready?"

"You just can't trust online strangers anymore." Ron said sarcastically as the double doors swung open. A low growl reverberated across Ron's headphones and his character began to shine with various magical effects.

"Okay, Ron. Head in." Felix said. "I'll be right behind you."

Ron stepped into the darkness, looking around. "Y'know, after being actually in a game like this, sitting at a computer kinda loses some excitement." Suddenly a flash of light streaked across Ron's screen, causing him to cry out in surprise.

"That's good, Ron. Just keep him busy!" Felix told him as he watch the eight armed, snake tailed boss bat Ron's character around. His own character began picking the lock on Xitikix's secret chest. "Almost got it!"

"Buff's falling!" Ron shouted. "Rufus, watch my defenses!" he ordered and the Naked Mole Rat leaped onto the keyboard. All eight of the boss's arms were about to deliver a death blow on Ron's character when a female character sped into the room, slaying Xitikix in one blow.

"Whew! Thanks, dude!" Ron said.

"What happened?" Felix asked. "I don't even have the weapon yet."

Ron looked around, seeing the character kneeling down at the pixelated body of the monster. "Z-Raa?" Ron asked himself, noting the name of the female avatar.

"Hey! That's the one that bolted last time!" Felix shouted.

Ron thought for a moment before typing. "Zita?"

The character stood, her helmet disappearing. "Ron?"

* * *

"You guys met online?" Kim asked Zita in disbelief. The group had climbed out of the water now, and were toweling off in the narrow hall that ran half the length of the boat, between several of the bed rooms.

"I know!" Zita exclaimed with a smile. "It sounds lame, but after Felix finished his yelling..."

"Felix was yelling?" Monique asked. "I don't didn't think that boy had a mean bone in his body."

"Well, either that or he bumped his caps lock button. Not really sure." Zita replied, walking up to the front of the boat and turning on the tea kettle. "But the day after, Ron introduced us at school."

"That's uh... quite a story." Kim said, taking a set of cups down out of the cupboard.

"I know." Zita smiled. "Probably pretty boring compared to you and Ron finally getting together.

"Nah." Kim stated, waving the comment away. "It was no big."

"Don't listen to her, Zita. I'm telling you, it was so the drama!" Monique argued, sitting down at the foldaway table next to Anthony. "Kim was actually dating this guy Erik at the time and..."

Suddenly, a series of quick footfalls echoed through the boat from the top deck, then a splash at the back of the boat. "Kim!" Ron shouted.

Instantly, Kim jumped up and sprinted down the hall and divided, finding Ron treading water and Josh and Felix laughing from the top deck. "Check it out, Kim! We've got a flag for our boat!" Felix shouted, pointing at Ron's swimming trunks that were flapping in the wind while hanging from the safety railing


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

**Day Two**

"Okay, I think I've got it!" Ron shouted as he looked into the engine compartment. "Try it now!"

Felix was up front in the driver's seat and turned the ignition. The engine began to vibrate and shake before a plume of black smoke erupted from it, knocking Ron onto his back.

"Kim is going to kill you, dude." Josh stated.

"Been there, done that." Ron replied. He pulled a small knife from his pocket and concentrated. It glowed blue for a moment and changed forms into various tools and weapons before settling on a screwdriver.

"That's quite the Swiss army knife." Anthony noted in his deep voice.

"More Japanese, actually." Ron replied. "Okay Rufus, give me some light over here." he said, pointing.

As Ron continued working on the motor, Josh turned to Anthony. "So you and Monique seem pretty close. "How'd that happen?

Anthony smiled shyly. A rather humorous look, considering his size. "Well, it wasn't long after she got to Upperton University..."

* * *

Monique stumbled her way toward her Business Economics class, trying her best not to appear new. So far, she had been failing miserably. Unlike Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable, who had seemed to disappear off the face of the planet shortly after graduation, Monique had dived head first into her job at Club Banana for the summer and had transferred to the Upperton store in order to go to University.

Or what was rebuilt of the University, anyway. The concept of an alien invasion had overwhelmed the entire world, and Monique felt incredibly lucky to have known Kim. A frown crossed her face as her thoughts turned to her friend and why she hadn't heard from her.

As Monique continued to stride down the hall in her daze, her shoulder caught the arm of another woman who immediately turned to face her. Monique gave a whispered "uh-oh." under her breath as she looked up into evil eyes. Not the kind of evil that Kim fought outside of high school. These were worse. They were high school evil, and reminiscent of Bonnie Rockewaller's eyes. The woman's skin tone was slightly lighter than Monique's with an angular face and black hair that was pulled back exceptionally tight in a multitude of thin braids.

While Monique had gained an attractive plumpness to her physique, the woman before her was thin and muscled and wore the distinctive white and blue cheer leader uniform of the Upperton University Unicorns. "Where do you think you're goin'?" the woman asked.

"Economics..." Monique blurted out. The crowd of cheerleaders behind the woman she was facing laughed and Monique glared.

"What makes you think you're going to get anything out of that?" the woman asked snidely, placing her hands on her hips and leaning into Monique's face.

Monique clenched her hands into fists and leaned in as well to meet the woman eye to eye. "What makes you think you're going to get anything by gettin' up in my face?"

"You've got a big mouth..." the woman began before another cheerleader pushed her way to the front of the crowd and pulled Monique away.

"Tara?" Monique asked as the blonde haired girl pulled her away. "What are you doin'?"

"Saving your first year of University." Tara whispered. "S'okay, Twyla. She's with me."

Twyla continued to glare at Monique before turning on her heel and walking away, her identically dressed entourage doing the same. "Who was that?" Monique asked, following the woman with her eyes.

"That's Twyla Kranks, Captain of the cheer squad, the Dean's daughter, and big trouble if you get in her way." Tara explained. "We're not Seniors anymore. Time to lay low."

Monique cocked an eyebrow and looked at Tara sideways. "I'm not gonna lay low just because some captain of the cheer squad..."

"And Dean's daughter..." Tara added.

"thinks she rules the school!" Monique continued. She had never gotten to know Tara very well in High School as the only cheerleader she had hung out with was Kim, who besides Ron, never limited herself to cliques the way Bonnie had. But Tara had seemed to be Bonnie's shadow, always in agreement with her and following in the brown haired girl's wake. Frankly, Monique couldn't understand why Tara had just stood up for her at all.

Tara stood back and hugged her chest in discomfort. "Hey, suit yourself. There aren't a lot of us from Middleton here and I thought you could use a friend."

Monique's posture softened and she smiled. "Sorry, I guess I've gotten a little closed off since that whole alien thing." she said, continuing on to her Economics class.

Tara walked beside her and smiled. "Have you heard from Ron or Kim lately?" she asked, curious.

"Not since the beach party after grad." Monique replied, shaking her head.

Tara frowned, then distractedly looked up at an overhead clock in the hallway. "Well, I should get to the art room. I'll talk to you later, Monique." she said nervously with a wave. Monique returned the gesture, stopping in front of the door of her first Business Economics class.

Monique shrugged. "Maybe there's more to that girl than I thought." she said to herself as she took a seat at the front of the class.

* * *

It was a few months later and Monique found herself hanging out with Tara almost as much as she had with Kim. She had met a few others that were Middleton High alumni, such as Josh Mankey, Bobby Johnson, and that girl in blue that she couldn't remember the name of. But Tara had turned out to be a decent person now that Bonnie wasn't around to direct her and now Monique found herself court side to a Unicorns game of basketball.

The intermission buzzer sounded, and Monique made her way to the concession counter for a smokie and she began to load it up with various condiments as a large elbow bumped her arm, sending a stream of mustard across her shirt. "Hey!" she shouted, her voice nearly cracking. "Watch it!"

"Oh, sorry..." came a deep voice from beside her.

Monique turned and looked up at a dark skinned man that seemed like Michael Clark Duncan, Vin Diesel, and Will Smith all rolled into one. "H-hi..." Monique stammered, her stained shirt suddenly the furthest thing from her mind. She could almost hear the sound of romantic music overlap the talking crowd as she continued to stare.

It then came to a screeching halt as Twyla Kranks walked over to them with a fake smile on her face. "Hey, Tony!" she called and the large man turned. "How's my baby doin'?" she asked, glaring at Monique and reaching up to throw an arm around Tony's shoulders.

"Hey Twyla." Tony said reluctantly. "I was just talking with..." he continued, then realized he hadn't asked her name yet.

"Monique." she added, uncertain wether to feel awkward or flattered that he would ask her name directly in front of his girlfriend.

"Monique." Tony repeated with a smile. "Right."

"Well, that's so nice." Twyla bit out through clenched teeth. "Come on, baby..." she said to Tony with a wicked smile, running a finger across his chin. "Carry me to my seat?"

The pout she was wearing was incredibly mastered, and Tony sighed, putting down his hotdog before lifting Twyla easily in both arms and walking away. Monique put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at the couple as Twyla extended an arm in her direction, making a rude gesture.

"How does a girl like her get a guy like him?!" Monique asked in irritation.

"Same way Bonnie got Brick, I'd imagine." Tara said from beside her. Monique couldn't recall her even appearing there. "That's Anthony Wall. Captain of the wrestling team and Twyla's boyfriend. She's kinda adamant about the whole hand's off thing."

"I can't imagine." Monique replied sarcastically.

"I even heard she put another girl in the hospital last year for eyeing him up." Tara whispered.

"That girl's got some security issues." Monique stated, shaking her head slightly as she picked up a napkin to wipe the mustard from her shirt.

"Here." Tara said, digging into her gym bag. "I'll be heading straight back to the dorm after the game, so I'll change there." she offered, holding out a red shirt.

Monique took the shirt reluctantly and smiled. She suddenly felt a little embarrassed at having been so defensive when she had met Tara on the first day of college. At least the shirt was her color. She held it up and grinned. "What is it with you cheerleaders and bare mid riffs?"

* * *

Monique found herself sitting in the bleacher's at another wrestling practice, watching Anthony Wall perform in a typically flattering, if not stylish, wrestling uniform. It was the first one of the new semester and Monique was sitting amongst strangers, watching the match as Twyla shouted order at her boyfriend.

Anthony was facing an Asian man that was half his size, but was far more quick and wiry, reminding Monique of Hirotaka from her tenth grade. So far, it was a stale mate with Anthony unable to firmly grasp his opponent and the other not able to bring Anthony down.

Monique could recognize what the smaller man was doing, however, and she stood up and cupped her hands around her mouth in order to drown out Twyla's orders that were obviously proving to be fruitless. "Go for his legs, Anthony!"

Even from her distance, Monique could see the grin play at Anthony's lips. Much like Hirotaka had kept his upper body mobile and his feet a sturdy, balanced base, Anthony's opponent easily evaded each strike and grab that the larger man used. Despite Twyla's repeated shouts of "Grab him! Knock him down!", Anthony reached low with both hands and lifted the smaller man over his shoulder before letting go.

Before his opponent struck the mat, Anthony twisted and fell, placing one arm over the man's chest and hooking his other arm around a leg.

Within a few moments, the coach's whistle blew and Anthony released his hold. He stood, shook the hand of his opponent, then caught a towel that Twyla tossed him as she approached. "Thanks." Anthony said, wiping his face and handing it back as he passed her by and strode toward Monique. "Monique, right?" he asked, climbing the bleachers. "You know wrestling?"

"My brother was a wrestler, and actually..." Monique admitted. "He set me up and I've been a fan ever since."

"Stephon Watson." Anthony grinned. "I remember him. One of the best Upperton had to offer."

"That's my bro!" Monique smiled. She could feel Twyla glaring at her, but she didn't care. For now, she had someone else to focus on.

* * *

"I've got it!" Ron shouted. "Start it up, Felix!"

"Ron!" came Kim's voice in a tone that he had heard many times.

"Uh oh..." Rufus squeaked.

"Well put." Ron affirmed.

The motor began to turn over as Ron stood to meet Kim, who was followed by three angry looking women. Before Ron could attempt to explain why he was working on the boat motor, the contraption banged and threw out a plume of black smoke that rose in a cloud over Ron's head. "What happened?!" Kim asked sternly.

"How'd the hike go, KP?" Ron asked as Josh and Anthony snuck away back into the house boat.

"Ron..." Kim said plainly.

"It looks like we're going to be here a while.

"Ron!" Kim growled, shaking.

"Hey, it's cool! We can still totally catch some rays!" Ron said optimistically as he looked up at the sky. But his smile vanished as the first raindrop landed on his forehead.


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Day Three

Tara sat in the hot tub on the top deck of the Moon Maiden. Through the open windows, she could hear arguing from several of her companions over who would be cleaning up after dinner, who was watching what show on the television, and who couldn't believe they were spending their spring break stuck on a beached boat in Canada. Tara didn't mind so much, though. One of the benefits of being the 'shy' girl was being invisible and she had snuck out early.

For the moment, she half floated in the warm, bubbling water, feeling the cool rain that continued to fall patter on her face and run through her hair. With closed eyes, she thought about the last few days and heaved a sigh. Everyone was different from who she had known in High School.

She had started getting to know Monique in college, but when she had started dating Anthony, Tara had fallen by the wayside, and had since been kicked off the cheer squad by Twyla Kranks, simply by association.

Both Kim and Ron seemed more serious, though she supposed that fighting off an alien invasion would do that to anyone. Tara frowned, recalling that Kim had also recently lost her grandmother, and decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Josh had possibly changed the most since high school, it seemed. Though still quiet, the rumor mill around Upperton University had him pegged as player, though since they had broken up just before junior prom, they hadn't spoken much. "I wish Bonnie was here. I doubt she's changed."

"You'd be surprised." Kim said, and Tara's eyes shot open. "Sorry." she apologized with a smile. "Didn't mean to startle you. It was getting a little too crabby down there. Mind if I join you?"

"Oh, sure." Tara said, returning the smile and sitting back in the tub. "What's everyone doing?"

Kim climbed into the tub and sank beneath the water up to her shoulders before letting out a blissful sigh. "Ron's losing poker chips to Anthony, Felix and Zita are fighting over the only working controller for the Z Boy, Monique got sucked into clean up duty, and Rufus is..." Kim said as the pink rodent floated across the surface of the water. "... here. Not sure where Josh went."

Tara hesitated a moment, sniffing the damp air. "He's on the back deck." she announced, catching the faint scent of tobacco, deadened by the rain. She recalled catching him with a cigarette a month after the big Diablo crisis. His parents had died in that attack, just before his graduation and he had apparently gone down a dark road before turning back to his artwork and using his inheritance to put himself through University. It seemed that the smoking habit still lingered whenever he was stressed.

"Tara, I'm glad you came. Even if this trip hasn't turned out to be all that great." Kim said hesitantly. "And I've had something I needed to tell you since Senior year."

Tara blinked at her. While Kim had never been so conceited as to not offer an apology to anyone when it was warranted, Tara couldn't think of what this message would be. "Uhm, okay..."

"I... I helped Ron break up you and Josh." she admitted, looking down into the water at her frowning reflection.

Tara stared in her in surprise. "Okay..." she said slowly. "Care to explain that one?"

"It started in the High School Library." Kim began, looking up again.

* * *

"Kim, you're a girl, right?" Ron asked his best friend as he sat down beside her in the Middleton High Library.

Kim looked up over the top of her Latin text book with a raised eyebrow. "Last I checked." she said dryly.

"I need some womanly advice. That whole moodulator thing made me realize just how... unknowledgeable I am about how to treat a lady." Ron admitted. "Y'know, on a date."

Kim sucked in a breath and looked around. "I though we agreed to not talk about that night." she whispered, narrowing her eyes.

"That fact that you were in a little black dress, or that if the remote for the moodulators hadn't made you go berserk, you probably would've..."

Kim growled and Ron smiled. "Amp down, KP. I can totally keep a secret about my best friend."

"Okay, so did you have someone in mind?" Kim asked, turning her attention back to her book.

"Tara." Ron announced, straight faced.

Kim slowly lowered her book again. "Ron..." she said carefully. "You know that Tara and Josh are dating, right?"

"Well, I know." he said sheepishly. "But if she liked me once, she might still, right?"

"Tara and Josh. You want me to help you break up Tara and Josh." Kim said, trying to clarify.

Ron looked away and shrugged, pushing his bottom lip out and letting his brown eyes water. Rufus climbed up on the table and nodded an affirmative.

Kim ground her teeth and sighed. "Fine. I'll teach you what you need to know, but what you do with that knowledge, I take no responsibility for."

"Score!" Ron shouted and was instantly met with a chorus of hushes from the libraries patrons. "Sorry..." he whispered.

"Woo hoo!" Rufus cheered.

* * *

"Okay, Ron... show me what you've got." Kim said as she fell onto the couch in her home.

"Come again?" Ron asked, pausing for a moment before snatching up the remote control for the massive television that took up nearly an entire wall of the Possible's living room.

"You wanted to learn how to date Tara, right?" Kim queried. "Let's see your moves." she said seriously.

"What? Here? Now? With... on you?" He stammered, sinking back into the reclining chair that he frequented more than Kim's father. "But you saw my moves at Middleton Days."

"That's it?" Kim asked in mild disappointment.

"Pretty much." Ron replied, crossing his arms. Rufus leapt from the recliner to the universal remote that sat on the coffee table and activated the stereo system, beginning the music of a classic Frank Sinatra song. "Well, it can't be any more awkward than going with me to my cousin's wedding, can it?" Ron asked with a nervous laugh.

Kim rolled her eyes, recalling the adventure of dealing with Ron as a villain. He did certainly play the role of the bad boy well, with some technological assistance. Kim shook her head in frustration. This was Ron! Her best friend, nothing more. "Just show me how you plan on getting Tara to give up on Josh, then."

"I figured I'd just ask her out to Buenos Nachos some night." Ron said with a shrug.

"Charming." Kim replied. "Well then, do it."

Ron looked Kim in the eye, then at Rufus, who was leaning against a soda can on the coffee table and watching. Sighing, Ron moved to the couch next to Kim. "Uh... Kim, would you..."

"Tara!" Kim corrected in irritation. "Just picture me with blonde hair and blue eyes or something."

"Okay..." Ron said slowly, clearing his throat. "Tara, would you maybe want to sometime..."

"Kim? Why is there romantic music playing in my living room?" came Mr. Dr. Possible's voice from the entryway. "Are you here with a boy?" he asked sternly.

"No dad." Kim answered. "Just Ron. I'm trying to teach him how to ask out Tara."

"Hey Mr. Dr. P." Ron said with a wave as Kim's father entered the living room.

"Afternoon, Ronald." the man said with a smile. "And good luck with that project, Kimmie-cub."

"Thanks, dad." Kim replied as he father left, moving toward the kitchen. "Okay, Ron. Show time." Ron took a deep breath and barely began to speak before Kim interrupted him. "Smile, Ron. Look like you want to ask her out." Kim ordered, taking a hand to push the sides of Ron's mouth up. "Okay, go again."

"Uh, Tara..." Ron began before Kim stopped him again.

"Meet her eyes, Ron. If you don't look her in the eye, she's going to think you're not interested in getting to know her." Kim explained.

As Kim and Ron talked, Anne Possible watched from the kitchen with a small smile. The two kids had been friends for so long, it was strange to see them act this way. She had been a little disappointed when Kim came home from her date with Ron a few weeks earlier, explaining how she had been under the influence of an emotion altering device. "What are they doing in there?" she asked her husband, who sat at the kitchen table.

"I think Kim said something about teaching Ronald how to date." he said, ruffling his newspaper. "Back in my day, we didn't have anyone teach us those things. We had to learn the hard way."

"Don't remind me." Anne said with a grin. James looked at her from over top of his newspaper, before turning back to it. "Still, they'd make a cute couple, wouldn't they?"

"Ronald and my Kimmie-cub?" he asked with a chuckle. "Didn't they try that?"

"You threatened to send him into a black hole." Anne replied.

"Even Ronald needs to know that there are consequences if..."

"Kim's a big girl, now. She saves the world. I'm sure she can take care of herself when it comes to boys." Anne continued to watch the two teenagers, smiling a hopeful smile.

"Okay, Ron. From the top." Kim said, sitting back down on the couch, pretending to read a magazine.

"Hey, uh, Tara." Ron said, still obviously feeling awkward. He sat next to Kim, who put the magazine down and turned toward him. "Would you like to go to a show or something on Friday?" he asked, looking into his friend's brilliant green eyes.

"I'd love to, Ron." Kim said earnestly. "When?"

Ron's eyes widened. "Oh, uh... seven-ish? I guess I'll pick you up around then..." he said, pausing. "I mean, if that's good for you, Kim... er, Tara."

Kim frowned. "First rule of dating, Ron. Don't mistake a girl's name for another."

Ron laughed nervously. "Heh... right."

* * *

"Okay, so we've covered the execution..." Kim said, leading the way into Buenos Nachos.

"Kim, can we not use the word execution as it may pertain to dating? I've heard Tara's dad is even more protective than yours." Ron pleaded.

"Is that possible?" Kim asked, approaching the counter.

"Well if it isn't Middleton High's newest couple of losers." chided Bonnie Rockewaller from a booth full of girls next to the counter.

Kim narrowed her eyes at her fellow cheerleader. "We're not a couple, Bonnie. We're just hanging out."

"I heard you were all over your 'friend' last week at Middleton Days." Bonnie grinned, causing Jessica and Hope to giggle.

Before Kim could respond, Ron stepped forward. "Kim was being controlled by a emotion controlling device, that's all. Just because we shared an open mouthed kiss in front of our lockers, doesn't mean we're dating!"

Bonnie's mouth hung open, the other girls burst out laughing, and Kim hung her head. "Ron... stop talking." she said in a defeated voice as she snatched his arm and pulled him from the restaurant.

* * *

"So where do you think I should take her?" Ron asked as he kicked a pebble down the street.

"Well, that depends. What's in your budget?" Kim asked.

"I figure if I skimp on the Nacos this week..." he said, stuffing a hand in his pocket. Rufus gasped at the suggestion, chittering in a state of panic. "I know, little buddy. But some things are worth doing the unthinkable for." he admitted, pulling out a small wad of cash. "Let's see... my mom says this Chez Couteaux place that my dad takes her to is nice."

Kim cocked an eyebrow. "It sounds nice. Got anything to wear?"

Ron rubbed his chin. "Well, there's the tux that Joe gave me last year."

"Does that still fit?" Kim asked as they approached another restaurant.

"It's spy gear, Kim. It always fits." Ron said, as though it should be obvious.

"Right..." she said slowly. "Well, let's test your dinner manners then. Rule one... always get the door." Kim explained, and waited at the entrance to the diner ahead of them.

"Get the door. Gotchya." Ron said with a nod, waiting for Kim to enter. "Uh, are you going to... oh!" Ron realized, moving to open the door.

Kim smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Ron."

"For two?" the waiter at the counter asked as Kim and Ron entered.

"Please and thank you." Kim stated, following him to a table in the corner. The restaurant was quiet, being an hour after the usual dinner time for Middleton, with only a few tables occupied. She watched as Ron skirted around the table and pulled out his own chair to sit. Kim cleared her throat. "Ron?" she asked, gesturing to her seat.

Ron took a moment to look up at Kim, then to the chair she was gesturing to. "Huh?" Oh, right. Sorry, KP." he stood again, then circled around to pull Kim's chair out for her, and tucked it in again once she sat. "Thanks for helping me with this, Kim."

"It's no big, Ron." Kim replied. It certainly felt odd teaching Ron how to woo Tara, and yet she found herself a little envious of the blonde. Ron would undoubtedly make some girl and excellent boyfriend someday. He was loyal, funny, and even brave enough to save the world once in awhile. She couldn't help but wonder though, was she helping Ron because he was her friend, and she didn't want to see him alone? Or did she want to have another shot at Josh Mankey?

* * *

"But you never dated Josh after that." Tara stated with a frown.

"No." Kim admitted. "I realized that what I did, helping Ron, was a good thing. Just that I did it for the wrong reasons. Then Erik came along and..."

"Whatever happened to him, anyway?" Tara asked. "Some green lady showed up and took him out of the gym after you left that night and you came back holding hands with Ron."

"He melted." Kim said plainly.

"Oh..." Tara said, not sure what else to say. "I'm sorry..."

Kim waved the comment away. "It's not big. Turned out he was about as fake as a guy can get, anyway." she smiled. "Tara, I know you and Josh had a good thing going at the time. Ron and I shouldn't have interfered."

Tara shrugged, recalling the few months her and Josh had dated before her fateful date with Ron, then going out with Jason Morgan. "I'm glad you told me." she smiled shyly. "Friends?" It was something she was seemingly lacking lately.

Kim smiled and nodded, extending her arms out for a hug.

"Is this a bad time?" Felix asked. He was floating at the top of the ladder in his hoverchair with Josh standing next to him.

"Kim and Tara hugging in swimsuits while standing in a steamy hot tub?" Josh asked. "I think we're just in time." he smiled.


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Day Four

"Is it ever going to stop raining?" Monique asked aloud, standing stock still and glaring at the water running down the windows. "I'm going stir crazy here!"

"Monique, nobody likes the current sitch. But it was free." Kim said, putting dishes from breakfast away as Zita washed them and handed them over. "I don't know about you, but my college budget isn't exactly overflowing."

"Don't lecture me, Kim." Monique snapped. "I can think of a few other things I could have been doing on my spring break."

"Would it be any different than what you've been doing every night anyway?" Zita asked under her breath.

"Excuse me?" Monique nearly shouted. She turned from the window and placed her hands on her hips.

Kim rolled her eyes and faced her friend. "Monique, your nights with Anthony haven't exactly been secret. Maybe if we'd all get some sleep, this trip wouldn't seem so bad."

Monique's eyes widened. "So it's my fault?! Maybe if your BF hadn't broken the motor..."

"Don't finish that, Monique." Kim ordered. Instinctively, her hand tightened around the plate she was holding. If it had been Bonnie or Shego dissing Ron, it would have been flying already. Relaxing, Kim continued. "I'm a little worried about you, Monique. This lifestyle isn't healthy. I mean, how well do you really know Anthony, anyway?"

"Well enough." Monique said through clenched teeth. "We can't all be matched up by destiny, Kim. Not everyone gets their soulmate by time they're four." Her words were meant to hurt, maybe out of offence, frustration or even jealousy, but after the emotional and physical beating that Kim had given Ron a week before, she was able to roll with the proverbial punches. "Besides, last I heard, you and Ron weren't much different."

"I'm, uh, going to go see how everyone is doing upstairs." Zita said, maneuvering around the two other women to escape out through the patio door.

"Ron and I made a decision." Kim said, choosing her words carefully. She had hurt enough people lately, she didn't want to alienate her best friend as well. "And we try to keep that part of our relationship private..."

"It didn't look very private on last month's issue of The Tabloid." Monique shot back, referring to the pictures that Kim's cousin Joss had taken of Kim and Ron swapping shirts in their car before a hurried day of classes. Apparently, some had leaked out and Kim could guess that Lonnie Rockewaller had something to do with it. Monique turned away, picking up a rain coat that hung beside the patio door. "I need some air." she said, pulling the green plastic-like coat on.

"Monique!" Kim said in desperation, but the patio door was closed already. Her first instinct was to go after her friend, but decided Monique could probably use some time alone. Instead, she decided to see what everyone was up to on the mid deck.

* * *

"And so out rolls Kim and Shego, the lady in black and green, both covered in hay and neither of them were barely wearing anything!" Ron was saying as Kim reached the top of the ladder. He and the rest of the crew were all sitting around the sheltered bar with various sodas in hand and laughing. "The moment Shego spots me, she does this backflip and says "Sorry, Princess. Next time let's not wait so long for a roll in the hay."

"Care to enlighten us on this little story, Kim?" Josh asked with a wry smile.

Kim pulled a soda can from the cooler of ice and cracked it open, being sure that it wasn't about to foam over again. "Shego likes to play with Ron's mind." she said, playfully glaring at her boyfriend. "But I guess if I have to secure his masculinity... I suppose I could elaborate on that one..."

* * *

"Drop it, Drakken!" Kim shouted, climbing up on the back of the saucer shaped jet that served as her arch foe's main form of transportation.

"Kim Possible?!" Drakken shouted in surprise. "How did you... bah! Never mind! Shego!"

Shego landed with glowing hands, and her feet apart in front of Kim. "Looks like we need to lose some baggage." she stated with a wicked grin.

"Funny." Kim retorted, crouched and ready. "I've been trying to tell Drakken that for years." she said, grinning back.

Shego growled, swiping a hand low at Kim's knees in an effort to knock her off balance. Kim performed a flip over Shego's head, landing in the seat next to Drakken. "Is she dealt with, She– Ah!" he asked, his voice raising several octaves when he noticed that it wasn't his raven haired sidekick that was now sitting beside him.

Kim snatched the cylinder out of Drakken's hand and tossed it over the side of the hovercraft. "Ron, catch!" she shouted, reflexively leaning forward as the back of the chair she was sitting in was vaporized by a blast from Shego.

"What? Ah!" she could hear Ron shout from his place still beneath the hovercraft.

Kim stepped up on the front of the craft, putting Drakken in between herself and Shego. The tactic didn't seem to bother the super powered villain though, who kept slashing around Drakken's head, singeing his ponytail as he ducked and weaved between the two women.

Shego lunged, using Drakken's shoulder as a spring board and catching Kim by the waist and knocking her off of the front of the aircraft. Shego grinned as Kim was pushed away.

Kim spun, grabbing Shego's outstretched ankle as she fell. Both women were dragged beneath Drakken's hovercraft as a line of town metal opened up before Shego finally let go.

Shego forced the heel of her foot into Kim's cheek, glaring at her with hate filled eyes. Kim looked up at the blue aircraft that quickly grew smaller as they fell. Ron was nowhere in sight and her jet pack was sitting in her closet at home.

"So what's your plan now, Princess?" Shego shouted, pulling her leg free from Kim's grasp. "Where's your boyfriend with his jet pack?"

Kim narrowed her eyes. "He's NOT my boyfriend!" she shouted over the howling wind. Shego continued to throw blasts of green plasma at her, but Kim glided in close, placing a double fisted strike into Shego's chest.

The two women continued to wrestle up until they struck the rotted wooden roof of a barn, throwing splinters in every direction before landing on a stack of square hay bails. Kim rolled out of the loft to land on the hay covered floor, coughing and cringing and trying to draw air back into her lungs.

Shego staggered to a standing position, blowing bits of hay out of her mouth and looked around for her target. She noticed that one leg of her green and black outfit now had a tear up her thigh and the opposing sleeve had been torn off completely. "You are gonna pay, Kimmie." Shego whispered to herself.

Kim opened her eyes, waving the dust away from her face. She groaned for a moment before a flash of green light caught her eyes. Forcing herself to her feet with a kip-up, Kim rolled forward as Shego's fist pounded into the wooden floorboards where Kim had just been laying. She spun as Shego pulled her hand free and ignited the green enveloping glow around her hands again. "Looks like someone's in need of a decent tailor... still." Kim smiled, taking on a defensive position.

"I'll be sure to take the bill out of your hide!" Shego growled, launching a barrage of plasma. Kim leapt high and back, landing on a stack of hay bails that subsequently burst into green flame and instantly spread to nearby bails as well. She hand sprung away and Shego continued her volley in Kim's direction, blowing holes in the walls and ceiling of the barn, causing a streak of green flame to take hold of Kim's cargo pants.

In mid flight, Kim unbuckled her utility belt and rolled out of the cargoes when she landed before they were quickly consumed.

"Ladies boxers, Kimmie?" Shego asked from the floor level of the barn. "You're even more little good girl than I thought you were." she smirked.

Kim looked down at her black, close fitting underwear and frowned. "They're comfortable, alright?" she retorted. Kim shielded her face from the green flames that were beginning to engulf the barn.

"This won't be!" Shego shouted over the noise of the crackling flames. She punched through the corner support of the loft and Kim shouted in surprise as the floor fell away from under her. Shego laughed and turned, but her grin faded as Kim rolled down the now slanted floor of the loft and collided with her.

They tumbled out of the front doors of the barn and into pouring rain, stopped in a puddle at Ron's feet. Shego jumped up and looked up at Drakken's hovercraft as it approached. She grinned at the sidekick's confused look and grabbed the chain ladder that dropped beside her. "Later, Princess." she said with a sly smile. "Next time let's not wait so long for a roll in the hay!"

Kim stood up with a groan. "What?" she asked, looking confused.

"Uh, Kim... what just happened? And why aren't you wearing pants?" Ron asked. Kim turned and glared at him and Ron held up his hands, smiling nervously. "Not that I'm judging!"

* * *

"So why didn't you explain any of that to me before?" Ron asked. The group of friends were all staring at Kim now as her story came to a close.

"I was standing half naked in the rain and my arch foe had just escaped. I wasn't exactly in the mood to explain anything." Kim responded, taking a sip from her soda. "Besides, what did you think? That Shego and I..."

"I'll be in my bunk..." Josh said, interrupting her and standing. "Hey Monique..."

Monique passed Josh as she reached the top of the ladder and smiled slyly. "Hi Josh..." Josh blinked a few times, staring at himself in Monique's sunglasses for a moment before she passed by, shifting her hips from side to side as she walked.

The rest of the crowd watched Monique approach and sit flirtatiously on Anthony's lap. She looked around at everyone with a smirk before settling a glare on Kim.

"Uh, Monique? What's with the sunglasses?" Kim asked, uncertain as to what condition their friendship was now in.

Monique didn't even turn to her when she answered. "I guess maybe my future's looking brighter, Kim. Problem?" An uncomfortable silence fell over the crowd and Kim furrowed her brow at Monique's bluntness.

Kim waited a moment before attempting to respond but she was interrupted by Josh again who popped his head up from the ladder. "I've got good news, people. The mechanic arrived at the dock and should be here tomorrow afternoon."

"Boo-Yah!" Ron and Rufus shouted, pumping an arm into the air. Grins spread rapidly around the circle of friends, but stopped awkwardly as Kim and Monique continued to glare at each other.


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Day Five

Tara glided through the hall of the Moon Maiden. The path was dimly lit by lights that shined at floor level and she quietly turned on the kitchen light, as well as the kettle that sat on the counter. A week in a cramped boat was making everyone irritable. At least everyone but her, it seemed. She was finding herself opening up a little more in the last day. The fact that she was wearing little more than knee length Fearless Ferret: The Movie shirt for pajamas brought a wry smile to her face. If only her father knew what kinds of trouble she had been into...

As she waited for the electric kettle to boil, she looked around the room and spied Josh's sketchbook on the seat next to the patio door. He had been keeping to himself for most of the trip, working on his sketches and observing from the background, like he often had in High School.

Tara looked around to make sure no one else was awake, and opened up the book. The first few pages were filled with random caricatures of the group of friends for Ron's project that he had Josh, Felix and her working on. A few pages of Kim and Ron, then a page each for her, Monique, Felix and Zita were all well drawn in a manga style. Tara flipped through them slowly as she waited for her water to boil.

Then her eyes widened and her cheeks reddened as she opened a page that had her posing nude. "Hey." came Josh's voice from the darkened hallway and Tara let out a high pitched squeak. "Find anything you like?" he asked nonchalantly.

Tara looked down at her picture again, then at Josh, and repeated before closing the sketchbook and placing it back on the chair. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean..." she stammered, beginning to apologize. Then she narrowed her eyes. "Wait, why do you have those pictures of me in there?" she asked, trying not to shout.

Josh moved over to the kettle as it popped and poured two cups of hot chocolate. "Maybe I should ask why you were a live model in my art class." he said, handing her a steaming cup. "Care to join me outside?"

Tara was speechless, and stood stunned as Josh picked up his sketchbook and an umbrella, exiting through the patio door. She thought back for a moment to when she had met Monique in college and immediately went to the art class. For some reason, the through that someone she might known could have been in there hadn't entered her mind. But she had needed the money at the time to pay for cheerleading. She was also suddenly away of the irony of being kicked off the cheer squad a few months later.

Josh had left the patio door open and stood at the foot of the ladder that led up to the mid deck and waited with his umbrella. Tara cautiously looked outside at the continuing rain that was dripping off the roof of the boat before running out to stand beside Josh.

"Take this." Josh said, handing her the umbrella. "I'll be right behind you." tara was about to protest, but took the umbrella and Josh's sketchbook, climbing the ladder to the mid deck. True to his word, Josh was right behind her and ran his fingers through his short, bleach blonde hair to drain off the water. Even within only a few moments, his shirt was soaked.

Tara sat cross legged in one of the patio chairs that were left on the med deck, and pulled her shirt over her knees, sipping from her steamy cup. "So what do you think of Ron's idea?" Tara asked.

Josh pulled his shirt off, wrung it out, and hung it across the bar counter. "It's pretty ambitious, especially for Ron." he chuckled. "I liked the song you put together for it."

Tara smiled shyly, flipping through the sketchbook again. She couldn't help but stare at herself, as vain as it seemed. "These are, uhm, really good, Josh."

"You were a good model." he smiled, sitting down beside her and sipping from his own cup. "I imagine it probably comes from all that cheer practice. Makes you easy to draw, especially here..." he said, pointing out the arch in her back, "... and there." he continued, pointing at her chin. "I always have trouble with realistic faces.

Tara frowned for a moment, looking into Josh's face. He was completely professional, and interested in the lines and shading rather than her body, very much unlike the rumors around college that suggested otherwise. "Can I ask a question?"

Josh took his eyes off of the page, nearly clipping Tara's nose with his own before pulling back. "Sure, go for it." he smiled.

"How did you and Kim break up?" she asked, biting her bottom lip. She had gotten one story from Bonnie, that she had trusted, and Kim herself had remained tight lipped about it.

Josh's smile faded instantly and he looked away. "It's not exactly flattering..."

Tara reached out in reflex and grabbed his hand, suddenly regretting her question. "It's okay. You don't have to answer that..."

Josh shook his head and smiled again. "No, it's okay. But you've got to tell me how your date with Ron went first. If it was worth breaking up with me for."

"I didn't break up with you!" Tara insisted. "You were graduating. I didn't know if..." she frowned, shining her bright blue eyes in uncertainty. She sighed. "A secret for a secret, huh?" she smiled. "Okay, you're on..."

* * *

At the sound of the doorbell, Tara charged to the entrance of her home. Ron was due at about this time and she didn't need her father scaring away yet another prospective boyfriend. But as she swung the door open in an effort to skirt out the door, Ron Stoppable stood before her in a black tuxedo, complete with a red cummerbund and bow tie. "Wow, Ron... you're..."

"Overdressed?" he asked, looking down at her blouse and skirt.

"I thought we were just hitting a movie and..." Tara said, suddenly feeling very awkward.

"Uh..." Ron began, rubbing his neck and looking away. "I could go home and change. Thought I've got these reservations..."

Reservations? "No! I mean, no. I'll change. I'll be right..."

"Tara! Who's at the door?" her father called.

Tara cringed, then showed an apologetic smile before whispering. "I'm sorry." to Ron. She moved out of the way to let her father through, and at first, Ron was expecting to look up, but then lowered his gaze at a plump man a head shorter than he himself was. "Dad, this is Ron Stoppable." Tara said, gesturing to each man. "Ron, this is my father, Mr. Gallagher."

"So you're dating my daughter, are you?" Mr. Gallagher asked, reaching out and taking Ron's hand. There was a pronounced shine coming off of the man's balding head that Ron couldn't seem to take his eyes off of.

"Well, I..." Ron stammered before being hauled through the door.

"I'm just going to go get changed quick and I'll be right back." Tara said as her father guided Ron into the living room.

"Take your time, dear." her father replied, placing a hand on Ron's shoulder. "He's not in a hurry."

"Well, actually I have..." Ron began before being sat down in a large leather chair. He looked around the room nervously, spotting several statuettes of cherubs and paintings of various Christian icons.

"Tell me, son. Do you know God?" Tara hear her father ask before she closed her bedroom door.

* * *

"Sorry about that, Ron." Tara said, placing the helmet she had used on the back of Ron's scooter. It was definitely no cherry red convertible like Josh had, but it felt oddly nice having her arms wrapped around Ron the whole time. "For you having to sit and talk with my dad, I mean." she smiled.

"Hey, it's cool." Ron assured her, opening the front door to the restaurant and gesturing for her to enter first. "I think I had more awkward man to man talks tonight than with my own dad at all." he grinned, following her in.

Tara frowned at the thought, uncertain as to whether she wanted any more details than that. "So how did you manage to get reservations to a place like this?" she asked as the maitre'de greeted them.

"I know a girl who knows a guy. No names." he whispered. "Table for Stoppable?" he asked the tall, well dressed man that approached them.

The maitre'de gestured for the couple to follow him and Tara looked into Ron's brown eyes with a smile. "This is really great, Ron." she admitted as he ushered her forward. "Oh, your tie is crooked. Just let me..." Tara stated. Before Ron realized what she was doing, she tugged on either side of the bow tie, releasing a thick cloud of vapor into the air.

"Ah!" Ron exclaimed, turning his head and holding his breath. Tara gasped as suddenly her eyes began to water and an unbearable tingle embedded itself in her sinuses.

"What..." she began as she covered her nose and mouth to suppress a sneeze. "...hap..." she continued, now waving her hands frantically as she felt another sneeze coming on. "...penned?!" Unable to open her eyes, Tara reached forward between sneezes and clutched a cloth in her hand, holding it to her face until the sneezes subsided.

Tara opened her eyes to a completely silent room and her face buried in Ron's suit jacket. "Eugh..." came a tiny voice from the pink rodent that seemed to follow Ron around all the time. He brought it on a date?!

Tara felt her face flush in embarrassment all of a sudden at the sight of the slightly shiny spot on Ron's jacket. "I am so sorry." she whispered, looking around at all the people in the restaurant that were now staring at her.

The maitre'de waited impatiently at their table and Ron cringed, looking down at the spot on his jacket. "These things happen... y'know, to me." he said with a sigh. Tara turned to their table, red faced, and sat, thanking the maitre'de for tucking her in. Ron sat across from her with a frown, glaring at the maitre'de in irritation.

"Virgin Daiquiri for me, please." Tara said, finding her voice again as the rest of the room finally went back to their meals. "Ron?"

"Hm?" he asked, snapping back to attention. "Just a soda, I guess." the maitre'de rolled his eyes subtly and walked away.

"What's wrong, Ron?" Tara asked, folding her hands in the center of the table. "I'm really sorry about that... what was that, anyway?"

"Sneeze powder. Comes with the suit." Ron said, as though it should be obvious. "Nah, it's just that I was supposed to tuck in your chair. Not the garcon."

Tara's eyes widened. No guy had ever gone all out like this before. Ron had always seemed a little dorkey until that night at Camp Wannaweep when he had single handedly fought off that creepy frog guy. "So tell me about some of your other brave adventures. How else have you saved the world?" she asked with a smile as their drinks arrived. Ron's naked mole rat leaped up on the table and began sucking on the straw that protruded from Ron's drink as he began to excitedly recite a story...

* * *

Tara was having difficulty holding her dinner down. She was trying to decide whether ignoring Ron and focusing on the rodent that he was sharing his food with was better than trying to pay attention to the multitude of stories about how awesome Kim Possible was and how many times she had saved his life. Even how often he had lost his pants would have been more interesting. Her decision was made for her when a large man in a gourmet chef's hat and a crisp white apron came to their table with his arms folded over his chest.

"You! Out!" he said, pointing to Ron. Rufus let out a yelp, diving back into Ron's shirt pocket. "You take rat outside!"

"Naked Mole Rat. There's a diff!" Ron said defensively.

"Out!" the man shouted. Ron turned his gaze to Tara, who closed her eyes in embarrassment.

Ron stood slowly. "I guess some things just aren't meant to be." he whispered sadly, putting a wad of cash on the table to cover the bill. "Come on, Rufus."

Tara sighed, letting her shoulders slump as she made a decision. Despite the rodent, the weird suit, the cowlick, and not being able to shut up about Kim, Ron was still a gentleman. One that wasn't scared away by her family and was brave, in an action here kinda way. She might even be able to get him into that haircut and outfit he had two years ago. "Ron, wait..." she said, standing. He looked like a puppy when he turned back toward her with sad brown eyes and a pushed out bottom lip. "Walk me home?" she asked, taking his hand with a smile.

* * *

Ron extended the small kick stand on his scooter as Tara got off, putting the bike helmet on the back seat where she had ridden. "Y'know, I did have fun tonight, Ron." she said with a faint smile.

"Really?" Ron asked, surprised.

"Really." she said, leaning in and letting her eyes flutter closed, puckering her lips slightly. She could feel Ron get close, but before their lips touched, the sound of Ron's beeper ringing cut through the silence.

"Kim!" Ron exclaimed, reaching for the interrupting device. "Tara, I've gotta..."

Tara frowned, hanging her head. Some things really weren't meant to be. "You really do like her, don't you?"

"What? Kim?" Ron asked, his voice getting shallow and wheezy. "No! We're, y'know, best buds." he insisted, avoiding her eyes. "Just watching her back, y'know." he laughed nervously, scratching his nose distractedly.

Tara rolled her eyes and sighed. "Have a good night, Ron." she said sadly before turning away. She could tell Ron was hesitating as she walked away, whispering something to his pet before the engine on his scooter sputtered to life again and he rode off.

"How was your date, honey?" Mr. Gallagher asked when Tara walked through the door.

"Hm? Oh, fine. It was fine." she answered soberly.

"Well, I hope so. I like that Stoppable boy." her father said, continuing to read his newspaper. "Is he taking you to the prom?"

Tara winced. Hearing how her father thought Ron was an okay guy seemed to suddenly diminish any attractiveness Ron still had. "He's uh... got another girl that he's probably going to take..."

* * *

"Wow, good call." Josh commented on her last line.

"Yeah." Tara smiled. "You should have been there when Kim and Ron walked into the gymnasium holding hands. Everyone but Bonnie was cheer... Oh." Tara trailed off, realizing it had been that night that Josh had lost his parents from the Diablo attack.

Josh wore a bit of a smirk now. "It's okay." he said, leaning back in his chair. "I guess I should feel lucky, really. My band was playing in Lowerton that night and there weren't any of the Diablo toys in the building. I guess not everyone can be invincible."

Josh and Tara sat in silence for a few minutes, Josh looking out over the dark rippling lake while Tara continued looking through his sketchbook. "Soo... now that the boat is running again, where should we go for our last day tomorrow?" Tara finally asked.

"I know a great place in one of the other arms of the lake. Sandy for those that are looking to relax, with a climbing area for those that need to blow off some steam." he said, smiling fondly, as though at a memory.

"You know of a place?" Tara asked, mystified at how he knew anything about the area. "How?"

"My parents had a cabin up here that we used to always come to in the summer. They weren't big Colorado heat fans." he grinned. "One of the two reasons this trip has been nice. Had a lot of good times here. It's where I fell in love with the landscapes."

Tara looked around at the dreary, rain filled skies. "Uh, sure..." she said with a frown. What good was a beach going to be if this weather kept up? The beeping of Josh's watch caught her attention. "What time is it?"

Josh looked down at his wrist, raising his eyebrows. "Midnight..."


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

**Day Six**

"Really? Feels more like two or three." Tara said, rubbing her eyes. She shivered slightly, enveloping her now only lukewarm cup with her hands. Josh stood, setting his sketchbook back in Tara's lap, and began walking toward the ladder down to the main level. "Hey! You were supposed to tell me how..."

"I'll be right back." He responded, climbing down. Tara waited a few minutes in her chair, hugging her legs to her chest and shivering. Finally, Josh's footsteps on the aluminum ladder signaled his return with a rolled up sleeping bag that he cover with his body. "Here. This should warm you up a little."

"Wow." Tara smiled, putting her cup and Josh's sketchbook off to the side. Josh unrolled the sleeping bag and laid it at her feet. "Thanks, Josh." she commented, pulling the flannel lined bag up to her chest and sitting again. A child like smile touched her lips, complimenting her blue eyes, as she reached for her cup again. "Okay, golden boy. Show time."

* * *

"Hey Josh." Kim said in disappointment. She moved the phone away from her ear to pull on her mission shirt, then continued. "I've gotta cancel our date again."

"Again?" Josh asked. "Another mission?"

"Yeah." Kim sighed. "Some deranged villain has a Obliteration Ray aimed at the Middle East."

"And that's bad?" Josh asked slowly.

"Yeah. That's bad." Kim confirmed. "I'm really sorry. I'll have to take a rain check for..."

"Why don't I come with you?" Josh asked. If Ron Stoppable could do it, why not him?

"What? Uhm, really?" Kim stammered, suddenly flustered. "Yeah. Sure. Y'know, I guess." Kim frowned for a moment, suddenly self conscious of having her boyfriend along on a mission. It wouldn't be the same without Ron, though. What if they got captured? What if she couldn't come up with a witty retort for whatever villain they came across? Or worse... what if she got a zit?

"Great. So do I pick you up for this, or...?"

"I've actually already got a ride. Pick you up in five?" Kim asked.

"As in minutes?" Josh asked, sitting up suddenly on his bed. "Sure. Okay. Uh, should I wear something special? How does this work?"

"Just something comfortable that you don't mind getting shot at by lasers in." Kim explained calmly, pulling on her backpack. "Okay, ride's here. Gotta go." She hung up the portable phone and linked up her Kimmunicator to Wade.

"Ron's on his way, Kim." Wade's synthesized voice said as he visibly tapped his fingers over his keyboard. "Said he had some issues with his scooter, a fire hydrant, and a cougar. I didn't ask."

"Tell him not to rush, Wade. Trying a new sidekick today." Kim replied, reaching the bottom of the stairs. On one hand, she knew Ron wouldn't like being left behind, but on the other, she was excited to finally be sharing this part of her life with Josh.

"New sidekick?" Wade asked, confused.

Kim rushed out the front door of her home and into the barely stationary GJ hoverjet that was about to land on the street. "Take us up!" she shouted to the pilot as she buckled into a seat. "We've got another stop to make!"

* * *

Josh Mankey checked his watch and looked either way down the street. There was no traffic and it was now six minutes after Kim had hung up the phone. He wasn't sure exactly what sort of attire constituted 'something comfortable that you don't mind getting shot at by lasers in', so he opted for his grey cargo pants and blue sweater.

He peered both ways down the street again until a chain ladder dropped from the sky in front of him. Cautiously, he looked up to see a black jet of some kind hovering above him. Kim poked her head out of the side door, waving for him to climb up. At first, Josh hesitated, grabbing a rung with both hands and placing a foot on another. There was s quick jerk before the ladder began reeling in and Josh cringed, entwining his arms into the ladder.

He was certain it had been hours before he reached the doorway and Kim grabbed his hand, hauling him into the aircraft. Her grip was stronger than Josh had ever realized and even her features didn't seem as soft as they usually did. They were hard now, business like. Dangerous. "Where are we going?" he asked, buckling in once the door was closed. He felt himself being pushed hard into the seat as the jet accelerated, and he was no longer concentrating on what Kim was saying.

* * *

Josh was still keeping his eyes clenched shut when Kim touched his hand. "It's go time, Josh!" she shouted past the wind that was whipping around the room. "You still sure about this?" There was both a look of worry and hope on her face, with a probably subconscious puppy dog pout that pushed her bottom lip out, making her impossible to resist.

"Yeah. I think so." Josh replied with a hesitant smile, unhooking his belt. "Are we landed?"

Kim pulled a blue helmet with red striping on, moved some goggles into place, and smiled. "Landed? Pfft!" she snorted. "We're halo jumping!"

"We're what?" Josh asked. He turned around to see clouds outside of the jet. His mouth bung open as Kim placed a matching helmet on his head, goggles over his eyes, and an oxygen mask over the rest of his face that muffled his protests.

Kim gave a thumbs up to the pilot, who continued to ascend and she moved over to the side door of the jet. "Ready?"

Josh could feel an icy wind blow through his clothes as though he were naked and he couldn't help but look Kim up and down. Her bare midriff barely even showed goose bumps. Josh bit back the urge to vomit in his mask and nodded, breathing heavily.

Kim took his hand and Josh's eyes widened, a scream filling his mask as she calmly fell backwards out of the jet, pulling Josh with her.

* * *

Josh had managed to keep his dinner down until the pair reached the rocky shore of the tiny island, and he managed to tear the oxygen mask off. His body had a thick layer of cold sweat covering it and his clothes felt heavy, wet, and sticky. His skin, as though it had just been rubbed raw with sandpaper. "You okay, Josh?" Kim asked as though she did this kind of thing every week.

"How do you make it look so easy?" he asked as Kim helped him to a shaky standing position.

"I do it pretty much every week." she smiled. "Are you good to go?"

"Yeah." Josh said, pausing to look at his shaking hands. "Yeah, I think so."

"Good." Kim said, crouching and moving toward the tall black tower that protruded from the center of the island. "So here's how it usually goes. If I can, I'll shut down the super weapon thingy, but if a woman with glowing green hands and no fashion sense shows up, let me handle her. It'll be up to you to shut down the Obliteration Ray."

"Do what to the what?" Josh asked, confused.

Kim took him by the hand, pulling him toward the tower. "Little more Josh, little less Ron." she smiled.

Getting into the tower seemed pretty easy, but as Josh and Kim sat in an unusually large venting tunnel, Josh noticed Kim's set look of determination. In the massive room before them sat what looked like a large artillery piece with a barrel big enough to launch cars. There was a raspy voice that echoed around them with the hint of an evil gloating entwining every word.

"The world will have to bow to me, Dr. Drakken, when I launch the first salvo from my Obliteration Ray!"

"Isn't it really more of a cannon?" came a female voice. "I mean, there's no ray involved, really."

Dr. Drakken growled. "Zip!" he shouted. "Has there been any reply..."

"Nope."

"To..."

"Nada."

"My..."

"Zilch."

"Demands?!"

"Zero..."

"Stop that!" Drakken shouted. "Fine! I guess if the Middle East won't give me their weapons of mass destruction, they won't miss their precious oil, either! Say hello to higher gas prices!" he laughed, walking over to the controls of the Obliteration Ray.

"Did you ever think that maybe they really don't have any?" the woman asked.

"Ridiculous, Shego! They're there. I..."

"Am so foiled." Kim finished for him. Josh looked down at her from his perch in the vent as she stood defiantly. He hadn't even noticed her leap down.

"Kim Possible?! How did you... Nevermind! Shego!" Drakken shouted, pushing a lever forward on his control panel.

"Present!" Shego retorted, swiping a glowing green hand down as she landed from a leap. Kim hand sprung backward, performing a split as she did to catch Shego under the jaw with a foot.

The moment she was on her feet again, Kim crouched against the wall and pushed herself off, performing a roundhouse that caught Shego in the chest. "No credit for being tardy, Shego." Kim grinned. "Josh, shut down the cannon!"

Josh looked down at the floor. He couldn't figure out how to get down, let along stop a massive cannon. He turned around awkwardly and lowered his legs. Clutching the edge of the vent with his fingers, his grip began to slip and he slid down the steel wall and fell onto his back.

"Nicely done, baffoon. But you're too... wait, who are you? You're not the usual blonde buffoon." Drakken said, standing over him.

Josh looked up at the source of the ranting, a tall man in a dark blue lab coat. With a receding hairline, pulled back into a pony tail, the man looked odd enough. But the sunken in, dark rimmed eyes, obvious scar under his left eye, and a light blue skin tone caused Josh to scurry against the wall in panic.

"Boyfriend." Kims aid through gritted teeth, sweeping her leg around to knock Drakken off of his feet. She crouched and rolled to the side, causing Shego to slide into Drakken. Kim snagged Josh by the hand and pulled him out of the way. "Cannon. Now!" she ordered with annoyance. "Maybe see if Rufus can..." she began, then blushed as she realized what she had just said. "Uhm, sorry..."

Josh's eyes had gone wide at the mention of her usual partner's pet, then wider still as Shego flew past him, tackling Kim to the floor. "I... I'm on it." Josh said, steeling himself.

A large mechanical arm had grabbed a cylindrical artillery shell at least twenty feet long and eight feet wide, and was now loading it into the firing chamber. Josh was panicking, unable to thank clearly. The lever that Drakken had pulled to activate the loading sequence was only a few feet away and Josh started moving toward it.

"Don't even think about it, boy!" Drakken shouted, climbing to his feet. "If that can... I mean, Obliteration Ray jams, it'll destroy this whole lair!"

Josh hesitated, his hand on the lever. He could see the firing mechanism cock the shell into place and he frowned, uncertain. "Josh, jam it!" Kim shouted from across the room, blocking strikes from Shego.

"No need to listen to the girl with the death wish, boy." Drakken grinned. He was slowly approaching Josh and the countdown timer on the cannon dropped to five, then four.

A loud click echoed through the room as the cannon pivoted into targeting position. Suddenly, a thin cable with a claw on the end clenched around the lever and pulled it out of position. Both Josh's and Drakken's eyes widened as the loading arm of the cannon grabbed the artillery shell again and lifted it out of place as the weapon fired.

The sound of mini rockets flaring to life blared through the room as Kim caught Josh by the waist, skating along the curved wall of Drakken's lair, up onto the barrel of the Obliteration Ray, and sailing off the end into the ocean.

Josh watched in paralyzed silence as the top of the black tower exploded, even causing the water of the ocean to move away with the shockwave. He was still watching the wreckage as the hoverjet stopped above them and the pair rode home in silence.

* * *

"Josh..." Kim said, frowning.

"I'm sorry, Kim. I can't do stuff like that. I'm not sure how you do it, let alone Ron." Josh said. "I mean, round housing goons out of windows and taking on super powered villains? It... paints a vivid image." He was staring into Kim's eyes, the hint of wetness shining in them. He hated hurting her like this, but his life was at stake. Halo jumping, Kung Fu, the fate of the world? It was all too much for him.

"I... I'm sorry too, Josh." Kim replied. She leaned in and tilted her head, leaving a kiss on his cheek, and he could feel a tear that was left behind. The problem was, he wasn't sure if it was hers or his.

* * *

Tara let one eyes flutter open, and immediately snapped it shut again as sunlight flooded in from behind a blurry, pink shape. She groaned. "Morning sleepy heads." came Zita's voice.

"Whu?"

The word was all Tara was thinking, but it was Josh's voice that said it. A warm body stirred against her and she struggled to open her eyes again, focusing on Ron's naked mole rat that stood in front of her face.

"Were you guys out here all night?" Kim asked and Tara looked up, squinting against the blazing sun. Kim was standing relaxed with the sun behind her and the rest of the group were crowded around, except for Monique.

"Nothing happened!" Tara finally stated as the details came flooding back to her. She was still in Josh's sleeping bag, and Josh laid beside her under another blanket that he had collected as the night had warn on. She began to climb out of the sleeping bag, still in her Fearless Ferret: The Movie t shirt, and stretched her uncomfortably cinched neck.

Josh climbed to his feet as well, a red pattern of the fiberglass textured floor imprinted in his skin. "Where's Monique?" he asked, trying to divert attention from Tara and himself.

"She's been hogging the hot tub for the last two days." Felix whispered, staying out of earshot of Anthony. "Been pretty cranky lately too."

"But the sun is out, the boat is moving, and we've only got one day left." Ron said, grinning. "So let's get this party started!"

The rest of the group gave a chorus of indifferent "Meh"'s and scattered slowly around the boat.

"I think we're all going to need a vacation to recover from this one." Tara replied, climbing down the ladder to the bottom level to continue her sleep in a more comfortable bed.


	8. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**Day Seven**

The Moon Maiden was moving at half throttle across the lake. Now that the rain had stopped, there were now a few more house boats on the water, but it was still the official off season. As the floating recreational vehicle cut through the waves, Felix rubbed his eyes and accepted a cup of hot chocolate from his girlfriend of two years, Zita Flores. "How'd you sleep?" he asked. Unlike a few of the other couples on the boat, Felix and Zita were sleeping in rooms opposite of each other across the hall, having made the decision before graduation to wait for more intimacy.

Zita yawned, took a sip from her own cup, then smiled. "Best night all week with no rain thundering against the window." she replied, sitting down in his lap. "You"  
Felix nuzzled into Zita's neck, causing her to laugh at the tickle of his facial hair. "Fine since the noise upstairs stopped the other night." he whispered. Since Monique had had her argument with Kim and went for a walk, she had come back different. Everyone had been stressed at having been stuck inside when it started raining, and even moreso when the motor left them stranded on the beach for more than half of their vacation. But Monique had begun avoiding everyone, become arrogant and rude, and spent most of her time in the hot tub and bossing Anthony around.

The skittering of tiny claws on the counter alerted Felix and Zita to the presence of Rufus, who was sleepily making his way to the large kettle of morning cocoa. Ron was shuffling into the room behind him with dishevelled hair and partially closed eyes behind his new glasses. He poured a cup for Rufus and himself before falling onto the couch. "Mornin' guys." he greeted with a yawn.

"Hey Ron-man." Felix said. "Ran out of contacts?" Ron nodded, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He still had yet to get used to wearing the temporary lenses since Wade hadn't yet gotten around to creating more gadget laden ones. "Well, we're on our way, Cap'n." Felix grinned. The boat had been reserved in Ron's name, making him the official Captain. Kim had even bought a novelty naval captain's hat at the floating store in the middle of the lake for him.

"Watch for icebergs, helmsman." Ron grinned. "This is Canada, after all"

"No problem, Cap'n." Felix said. "Got the best view on the boat from here." he smiled, sharing a chocolate flavored smooch with Zita.

"Where's Kim?" Zita asked.

Ron hesitated a moment. "Funny thing, that. I commented on her sun burned legs this morning"

"And?" Zita and Felix asked in unison.

"It's been raining for four days." Ron said, looking into his cup with a frown. "It wasn't a sunburn."

Zita's eyes widened with an "Ooo..." and Felix cringed.

Ron laughed nervously. "Yeah, so I'm going to have to buy some new razors when we get home. On the bright side, her 'tude of the last few days seems to have stopped for the most part."

Felix and Zita looked at each other knowingly. "Uh, Ron..."

Tara crawled out from her floor level cubby bedroom, trying desperately to tie back her unruly, platinum blond hair. She waved silently to everyone in the room, smacking her lips. "Don't you think you should have some pants on?" Zita asked as Tara poured herself a cup of hot chocolate.

"With a shirt like that, who needs pants?!" Ron laughed and Tara lifted the long, dark brown Fearless Ferret shirt to waist level, revealing a pair of red, polka dotted boxer shorts.

"Is there a reason you're flashing my boyfriend, Tara?" Kim asked as she walked into the room from the hall. Tara yelped and blushed deep red as Kim walked by, towelling off her full head of red hair. She gave Tara a good natured wink and sat down beside Ron, tossing her wet towel on his face and stealing his hot chocolate.

"Hey!" Ron exclaimed, tossing the towel to the side. Rufus gave a squeak as it ballooned over him and his cup. Kim took Ron's hand after brushing her hair into a more manageable form, and placed it on her newly smoothed legs. He gave a subdued "Ah..."

"What's this about Tara flashing people?" Josh asked with a wry smile, hooking his arm around Tara's shoulder as he too, entered the room. Ron was mouthing the words 'Told you so...' to Kim, who only rolled her eyes.

* * *

Anthony quietly slipped out of the patio door on the second level of the house boat and climbed the spiral staircase to the top level. There, he found Monique floating in the hot tub in her bathing suit and sunglasses. "Have you been out here all night?" he asked, concern showing in his voice.

Monique seemed to ignore the question. "We should go see your parents when we get back." she said without hesitation. "I'd like to know more about your dad's work."

Anthony furrowed his brow and snorted. "Since when do you care about stem cell stability research."

"It's a... relatively new interest." Monique answered. "A project I'm working on for school."

"Whatever." Anthony replied, turning to walk away. He was stopped before he reached the spiral staircase by Kim, who was climbing up with the rest of the group of friends behind her.

"Souvenier time, Anthony." Kim said. Ron was directly behind her, with Rufus on his shoulder, carrying a digital camera. Monique flipped over in the hot tub at the sound of Kim's voice and watched her through her darkened sunglasses.

"Okay, people!" Ron shouted. "Who know when we're all going to meet up again so let's group up before they toss us off the lake." he grinned. As Josh, Kim, Zita, Felix, and Anthony crowded together in front of the camera that Ron and Rufus were setting up, Tara grabbed Monique's arm, dragging her into the group.

"Say cheese!" Tara shouted as soon as Ron and Rufus rushed into position.

"CHEESE!"

The camera flashed and the group of friends cheered, hugs and high fives being shared around the circle. Cautiously, Kim approached Monique, who turned with her hands held behind her back. "Look, Monique. I'm sorry for poking my nose into your relationship. I just..." Kim said, trailing off. She looked down at her hands in frustration, looking for the right words. "I worry about you. I don't want our friendship to end after everything we've been through." she continued.

Kim waited for a moment for Monique to respond, but her friend just continued to stare at her through her sunglasses. "I know I haven't been myself lately either, since Nana passed away. But it makes me realize how much I need the people that are still in my life. Still friends?"

Monique seemed shaken, as though she had just heard that Kim's grandmother had died. "Of course, Kimmie." she said, suddenly embracing Kim in a hug. "You'll always be my princess."

Kim cocked an eyebrow at Monique's words. They had an odd familiarity to them, but she settled into the hug, happy to be making amends with her best friend once again. "Uh, good... I guess."

Monique had removed her sunglasses to hug Kim and she opened her eyes, revealing violet, slit pupils that secretly glared at Kim. She grinned with a mouth full of needle like teeth and raised a wickedly clawed hand that was enveloped in green glowing energy.

"Ron?!" Kim said, pushing away from Monique and walking over to her boyfriend, who stood holding the digital camera, looking as though he'd just seen a ghost. "What's wrong?"

"I've seen this picture before, Kim. In the future, on your desk..." Ron insisted, showing Kim the pleasant picture of the group of friends.

Kim rolled her eyes and smiled. "Coincidence, Ron. That was just a dream." she said, not noticing that Monique's hands and teeth had returned to normal and she returned her sunglasses to thier place, covering her violet eyes and sneaking away to the main level of the house boat.

* * *

"You know Kim will be coming to rescue me, right Junior?" Monique asked. She sat in a makeshift prison cell in the Senior's Weather Machine as it flew over the Pacific ocean.

Senor Senior Senior stepped forward, creeping out of the shadows of the Weather Machine's interior. "My dear girl... I'm afraid that your falling out with Ms. Possible before you went out for a most foolish walk alone in these dangerous woods has gauranteed that she will not be coming for you.

"Kim's smarter than that!" Monique retorted. "I don't know what Bonnie's up to, but Kim's not going to fall for it. Somehow, she's going to figure out that you were behind the storm and getting everyone stressed out."

Senor Senior Junior looked up from the magazine that he had been reading quietly and Monique stepped away from the bars of her prison as he stood. "My precious Bonnie is very sick because of Kim Possible." he explained with a frown. "It is only with Professor Wall's research that he will not simply sell to us that we can help her."

"Anthony's dad isn't going to help you... you freak!" Monique said, obviously intimidated.

Junior's eyes shined bright yellow for a moment before he smiled casually, and walked away toward the cockpit. When the door had closed behind Junior, Senior began to snicker evilly. "Get some rest, Ms. Watson. A woman in your condition will need it. Don't worry, both of you will be well taken care of in my company."

Monique hugged her arms across her torso, slid down the wall to the floor, and began to cry.


End file.
